P.S. On ticket sales per train calling, Melksham would come much higher up the list. I don't have statistics / a table of passenger train numbers .... but glancing up and down from position 1899 in the list, I see station after station that has much more frequent services (and serves a much smaller catchment) than Melksham.

do the ticket sales for melksham include Internet sales , via Traineline, First group & Wessex Trains (I know they are gone) and Q jump?

So did Chetnole (annual ticket sales 2,248.) However it would be too simplistic to suggest that the timetable has been restored and there are no cuts.

Here is a link to Appendix 2.2 of the South West Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy.
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/rus%20documents/route%20utilisation%20strategies/south%20west%20main%20line/appendices/appendix%202.2.pdf


Here is a link to the final First Great Western December 2006 timetable.
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Documents/Custom/Rev%20Dec%20TTs/SX%20-%20Cardiff%20-%20Bristol%20to%20Weymouth%20-%20Portsmouth%20-%20Brighton.pdf

Examples of forthcoming First / Network Rail performance studies include the following :

1) The 1200 Cardiff - Brighton service , which will assess the benefits / disbenefits of missing out the Patchway , Keynsham , Oldfield Park , Freshford and Avoncliff stops , but keeping the stop at Bradford - on - Avon.

2) The 1400 Cardiff - Weymouth service , which will assess the benefits / disbenefits of the original Westbury - Weymouth SLC2.

The timetable is also designed to assess the benefits / disbenefits of missing out the stop at Pilning altogether. You will also have noticed that all of the "00" Cardiff Central departures , except the 1200 , include long waits at Bristol Temple Meads , which is the exact opposite of what the JSPTU Rail Vision proposed.

Those who conclude that the Swindon - Southampton service is being withdrawn because of the high subsidy ignore the fact that Graham's figures prove that growth on the northern section will pull the southern section , and thus the whole service , out of subsidy and into profit within 5 years , especially if a both - ways , clock - face , 2 - hourly frequency is introduced.

The true reason that the Swindon - Southampton service is being withdrawn , and that Melksham is having its train service replaced by buses , can be found in the quotes below.






SRA & Network Rail studies have concluded that Westbury is the only viable termination point. Even this will cease to be the case when future freight services are introduced.

For similiar reasons , the Southampton - Westbury shuttle and Bristol - Waterloo services will be withdrawn from December 2007. The same fate will befall the new South Western Franchise Romsey - Salisbury via Southampton Airport Parkway and Southampton Central service at some point , because Network Rail have already concluded that there is no room for it on the network. Its inclusion in the South Western Franchise was a purely political decision , and not what the Consultation Document envisaged.

If you read through the relevant sections of the Network Rail Business Plan 2006 , you will realise that its projections are based on implementation of SLC2 as a starting point. SLC2 (and any changes announced by First) can be changed either through the provisions of the DfT Closure Guidance or through agreement with the DfT. An example of such a potential agreement can be found below.

Here are the scoping documents for the forthcoming North West & Yorkshire & Humber Route Utilisation Strategies (links below.)
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/rus%20documents/route%20utilisation%20strategies/northwest/north%20west%20rus%20scope%20.pdf
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/rus%20documents/route%20utilisation%20strategies/yorkshire%20and%20humber/yorkshireandhumberrusdraftscope.pdf

In both documents one of the "Issues and Problems" identified is "how best to serve low footfall stations."

Also indentified is "The impact of continuing growth of rail freight traffic from the Humber ports, particularly coal to the Aire and Trent Valley power stations."

Here is a quote :

"In terms of south Trans Pennine, it is proposed that the NW RUS will examine all services on this route. If after evaluation it is proposed to recommend changes to the specification of these services, this will be reviewed with the SRA / DfT franchise specification team to align with the wider development of the Central re-mapping process."

Here is a quote from the original Beeching Report :

"These proposals do not include all the stopping passenger services now running. Reshaping and streamlining the pattern of these services must be a continuing process. As this proceeds other services and stations will be added to the withdrawal and modification lists until a point is reached when what remains can be said to be viable."

Here is a letter from Derek Twigg , followed by an analysis by Graham (link below.)
http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/melkshamrailway/145_Letter_from_Derek_Twigg.html

Quote from the above link :

"I has seen the statistics quoted by the Department for Transport at the time of the original franchise specification, and noted they were taken over a relatively short period (8 days) which he suspects might have included the Easter weekend. As someone with a University Degree which included a major statistics element, I can assure the minister that a sample of this size is insufficient to be statistically significant - he would need the statistics from around 15 to 20 days, chosen at random throughout the year, to be able to read anything into the figuures that could relate to overall usage on a service which may well have a seasonal element."

Quote from the original Beeching Report :

"The traffic surveys, which were made in great detail, extended over only one week, the week ending on 23rd April, 1961, because it was impossible to continue the massive recording effort involved for a longer period. It was realised, therefore, that conclusions about some streams of traffic and about some parts of the system which are affected by seasonal changes could not be based firmly on the traffic surveys alone. Subject to this limitation, however, there can be little doubt about the general reliability of the picture revealed."

In my opinion , Derek Twigg is attempting to justify the withdrawal of the Swindon - Southampton service in exactly the same way as Beeching did. He would undoubtably deny this but , in my view , the evidence suggests otherwise (link below.)
http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=424.msg1249#msg1249

Or from Thingly Junction to Swindon.

I find Graham's analysis and the discussion about the usage of Melksham station to be interesting.  However, it would be more informative, and probably more damning, if statistics were available for each individual train of the day.  From my experience, away from peak hour trains, there are similarities with the Marie Celeste when other trains call and I suspect that FGW had already noticed this when compiling the winter timetable.  I am a railway enthusiast and will always travel by train when it is possible and convenient.  Unfortunately, although I travel for pleasure on average once a fortnight, it is rarely convenient to use our local station due to the lack of trains.  The problem we face at Melksham is that we are the only station between Thingley Junction and Bradford Junction and, with the low passenger numbers away from peak, it is not worth the TOC's while in running through our part of the former Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth line.  Instead of incorporating us in the Swindon to Southampton route, I would dearly like them to speculate and run a trial of a two-hourly shuttle between Swindon and Westbury during the day for six months or a year and challenge the Melksham folk to use the station.

eddy

As you know , Graham , I have actively supported your push for a 2-hourly Swindon - Westbury service. However , I believe that growth on the northern section of the Swindon - Southampton service should be used as a tool to pull the southern section out of subsidy and into profit , which it would have done had the service been left to grow and savage cuts not proposed.

As a consultancy firm might put it , "Total social benefit in a realistic modern - day financial setting."

Here are links to the current London - Oxford timetable.
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Documents/Custom/Timetables/Table%203A%20from%20London.pdf
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Documents/Custom/Timetables/Table%203A%20to%20London.pdf

As you can see , all stations between Didcot - Oxford are served by the same 2 - hourly pattern , with other trains calling at Radley so as to give it an hourly frequency.

Here is a link to the proposed timetable from December 2006.
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Documents/Custom/Rev%20Dec%20TTs/SX%20-%20London%20to%20Outer%20Thames%20Valley.pdf

Radley is still served hourly , but the other stations are served by a "skip - stop" pattern , in order to test the benefits/disbenefits of reducing the journey time.

Also , some trains miss out Ealing Broadway & Slough stations. When combined with a service that only calls at Radley (between Didcot - Oxford) this brings the London - Oxford journey time comfortably below 1 hour 30 minutes.

In other words , you could run a London - Radley - Oxford hourly service with just 3 units.

There are 4 buses an hour from Radley - Abingdon and a half - hourly bus service from Radley - Didcot Parkway.